Full Name: Evian Thonon Gaillard Football Club
Evian
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Description:If you're looking for a football club with a convoluted history you've come to the right place. Evian Thonon Gaillard have technically only been in existence since 2003 and are already on their 3rd name and playing in their 3rd stadium (and city). The only constant is change for this club.
Evian TG is the culmination of a series of mergers, beginning with the merger of two small clubs in the city of Gaillard - FC Gaillard and FC Ville-la-Grand. Gaillard is a commune (basically a village or municipality) just across the French/Swiss border from Geneva. This merged club took the name Football Croix-de-Savoie 74. FC Gaillard had reached the Championnat France Amateur (4th Division) and merged with FC Ville-la-Grand to combine resources in hopes of creating one club for the village to reach even greater heights.
Football Croix-de-Savioe 74 lasted 4 seasons, spending 2 of them in the 3rd tier Championnat de France National. After the 2006-07 season the merger was effectively broken up and FC Gaillard merged with Olympique Thonon Chablais from the town of Thonon-les-Bains, located about 20 km northwest of Gaillard. Olympique Thonon Chablais spent several years in the 1980s in the 2nd division (once missing promotion to Ligue 1 only on goal difference) but by the time of their merger with Football Croix-de-Savioe 74 had fallen down to regional football, the 8th tier Promotion d'honneur régionale of Rhône-Alpes.
The newly merged club took the name of Olympique Croix de Savoie 74, moved home base to the Stade Joseph-Moynat in Thonon les Bains, and took their place in the 4th Division, winning immediate promotion back to the 3rd division. 2 years later came another name change, to Evian Thonon Gaillard Football Club. By this time the Danone Food Group (parent company of Evian water) and their president Frank Riboud had become the principal financial backers of the club and were investing significant resources into the club with the goal of reaching Ligue 1. This goal was duly achieved in 2011 as Evian TG won their 3rd promotion (and 3rd title) in 4 years and are competing in Ligue 1 for the 2011-12 season. Evian Thonon Gaillard Logo:The Evian TG logo pays tribute to the Savoy region (and former kingdom) in which all the towns in this convoluted tale are located. Savoy has a unique history dating back to the 11th century with various periods as an independent state, others as a vassal to France and Italy and currently as a part of the French Republic. The Savoy Cross (a white cross on a field of red) can be seen at the heart of the Evian TG logo and is also referenced in the two earlier incarnations of the club's name.
Parc des Sports d'Annecy:The Parc des Sports d'Annecy (Annecy Sports Park) is a multi-sports stadium in the city of Annecy in southeastern France, approximately 15 miles south of Evian TG's home base of Thonon-les-Bains. This is Evian TG's second season at the Parc des Sports as their previous stadium, the Stade Joseph-Moynat in Thonon-les-Bains, is not large enough to accommodate professional football. Evian TG are now developing plans for a new stadium or an expansion and renovation of the Stade Joseph-Moynat.
Previous Stadiums: Stade Joseph-Moynat.
Major Trophies:Second-Tier League Titles:
Third-Tier League Titles:
Fourth-Tier League Titles:
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| Last Updated on Monday, 31 October 2011 20:22 |
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